by Larry EderIn Doug Logan’s closing speech at the USATF convention, which concluded on Sunday, December 7, 2008 in Reno, Logan announced Project 30. Thirty clean medals for London 2012, $30 million in sponsorship per year by 2012 and a world championship in US by 2015. Ambitious goals from an ambitious man, who has, so far, stayed out of the limelight.
His reorganization of USATF is brand new, and there will be changes in the home office as well as several satellite offices that should appear in Southern California and a marketing office in NYC.
The world championships is a devil in the details. Government support, the right facility and MONEY to make the event work. World Champs have bankrupted NGBs, look at Sweden in 1995. But, in the end, Logan is right, the US must have a World Champs in the next decade at least.
In closing tonight, keep your thoughts and prayers with Kerryn McCann, two time gold medalist at the marathon in the Commonwealth Games, and three time Olympic marathoner. Kerryn lost her battle with liver cancer on Monday. She leaves her husband, Greg, their two boys and a little daughter.
I am in New Orleans for the ASBA Technical conference for track facilities and tennis courts. I am giving an award out on Tuesday for the Top Track Facility. More on that on Tuesday.
EME NEWS (DEC 8, 2008)
MCCANN LOST THE BATTLE
MELBOURNE (AUS): Two-time Commonwealth Games Marathon gold medalist Kerryn McCann, who earned her place in Australian sports history when she defended her Commonwealth title in front of a packed house at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds in 2006, succumbed to cancer last night. The popular athlete and mother of three was just 41 years-old. McCann was a versatile distance runner who recorded her best performances on the roads. A three-time Olympic marathoner (her best finish was 11th in Sydney in 2000), she was still the Australia record holder for the half-marathon at the time of her death (1:07:48). She was also the fourth-fastest Australian marathoner of all time, behind only Benita Johnson, Lisa Ondieki and Nicole Carroll. She consistently made good results at the big city marathons, finishing third in Chicago in 2001, fourth in Osaka in 2002, fifth in London in 2000, and sixth in New York City in 2002. Early in 2007 she and husband Greg became pregnant with their third child, and in August, 2007, McCann was diagnosed with breast cancer. She delivered her baby, a boy named Cooper, six weeks early on September 5, so she could begin her treatments. Seemingly after beating breast cancer, McCann was diagnosed with liver cancer last May. She and husband Greg kept the news out of the media until last September when Bideau told the Canberra Times, “I knew quite a while ago she’s been fighting it since May.” She finally lost that fight last night. McCann is survived by her husband, Greg, sons Benton and Cooper, and daughter, Josie. Race Results Weekly informs.
SAMITOVA-GALKINA FOR EUROPEAN CC
MOSCOW (RUS): Olympic steeple winner and first ever female sub 9 minutes runner Gulnara Samitova-Galkina will compete at next Sunday´s European CC Championships in Brussels. It will be her international debut in cross country as she will be the headliner of Russian team which includes Galina Ivanova, Nadezhda Trilinskaya and Viktoriya Trushenko. The only male senior runner will be Nikolay Chavkin. Beside this Russia will send both U23 and junior teams.
NO INDOORS FOR SALADINO
SAO PAULO (BRA): World Long Jump champion Irving Saladino of Panama will not compete during indoor season. The Olympic winner will concentrate on summer as his management group Global Sports Communication confirmed. The female long jumper from Nelio Moura coaching group, Brazilian Olympic winner Maurren Higa Maggi plans one or two outings during the indoor season. She won last winter silver at World Indoor Championships in Valencia.
DOBRYNSKA UNDECIDED
KYIV (UKR): Olympic heptathlon winner Natalya Dobrynska plans to qualify for European Indoor Championships in Torino. But the Ukrainian top athlete must still decide. She is considering two options. Either she accepts the invitation for pentathlon or she will try to qualify on Long Jump and Shot Put. With her coach Dmytro Polyakov they will make the decision soon. She will also compete at Moravia High Jump Tour in Czech Republic in January.
SIMMS ABOUT MONEY
KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaica Observer quoted Ricky Simms, the agent of world fastest man Usain Bolt, as saying: “I think what is more important for Bolt is that he’s not chasing money. He’s got a programme that is progressive. Coach Mills will dictate where he runs to get him ready for the World Championships and his performance will come first as opposed to chasing money on the circuit because he’s only 22 years old and he’s got 10 years to chase money, so he doesn’t have to do that yet.” Simms said for Observer that Bolt will command the highest appearance fees next season after his superb performances in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relays at this summer’s Beijing Olympics. “He’s the most valuable athlete on the circuit… and all the meets will like to have him of course. Some meets, their budgets are not big enough to have him and that’s a problem that they’ll have, so the market will dictate what he can receive,” added Simms.
HISTORICAL MARATHON ROUTES
BERLIN (GER): 250 days before the IAAF World Championships in Berlin the marathon and walking courses have been officially announced. All necessary permits have been received and for first time in the history of the championships start and finish will be outside the main stadium. In Berlin at the historical Brandenburg Gate. The runners will compete at 10 km lap course (four times) and will pass through many landmarks of Berlin. Also special is the planning for walkers who will compete at 2 km lap circuit which will also start and end close to the Brandenburg Gate.
LOGAN WANTS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN US BY 2015
RENO (USA): In his address to the USATF Closing General Session at the organization’s 2008 Annual Meeting, CEO Doug Logan laid out clear goals for the next seven years: 30 medals in London, a 30 million USD budget by 2012, increasing membership by 30 percent and hosting the 2015 IAAF World Outdoor Championships. It was entitled “Project 30 and beyond”.
OTHER NEWS
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Athletics South Africa (ASA) announced that long distance runner Zolani Ntongana (28) has been reinstated for all athletics competitions with immediate effect. Ntongana tested positive for the prohibited substance, methandienone, at the Nedbank Matha Series in George on 14 October 2006, and after having carefully reviewed all the evidence presented in his case. According to the IAAF Rules, Ntongana has completed the mandatory four out of competition tests during his two year ineligibility period, and all tests have returned with negative results.
DEN HAAG (NED): As Race Results Weekly informs, the organizers of the Fortis City-Pier-City Half-Marathon announced that world marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie would run in the 35th edition of their event in Den Haag on Saturday, March 14, 2009. The two-time Olympic gold medalist travels with a special mission to Den Haag: he wants to recapture the world half-marathon record he lost to Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru. Wanjiru, the Olympic Marathon gold medalist, has beaten Gebrselassie’s 2006 world record of 58:55 set in Phoenix, twice: first in Ras al Khaimah in February, 2007 (58:53), then again on the course in Den Haag five weeks later (58:33). Gebrselassie runs before the Dubai Marathon in January.
OITA (JPN): The 58th Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, to be held on Feb 1 next year will serve as one of the official selection races for next summer’s Berlin World Championships men’s marathon team. The event is live televised nationwide on JNN. The other selection races for Berlin at the current time are December’s Fukuoka International Marathon, March’s Biwako Mainichi Marathon, and March’s Tokyo Marathon informs Japanrunnignews.
GAINESVILLE (USA): Now a freshman tailback at fifth-ranked Florida, Jeffrey Demps appears to be the swiftest running back ever to play college or professional football, according to track historians and an examination of performance lists compiled by USA Track and Field. At 18 he is co-holder of world junior record 10.01 at 100 m (still to be ratified by IAAF). He is also slightly faster even than Bob Hayes (10.05), the 1964 Olympic champion at 100 meters who played running back at Florida A.&M. before becoming an All-Pro receiver with the Dallas Cowboys.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Top British miler Lisa Dobriskey plans to use the showcase Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on February 21 as a stepping stone to the podium at the World Championships in summer. The 1500m runner is dealing with new-found expectation after a hugely promising fourth place at the Olympic Games in Beijing. The 24-year-old is now setting her targets on next year’s World Championships, which take place in Berlin in August. Informs UK Athletics.
ALGIERS (ALG): The Algerian capital will host its first international marathon on June 5 next year. The organisers can be reached at sportingmanagement@yahoo.fr, El Watan informs.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): After long term deal with IAAF, adidas extended its partnership with UK Athletics for the next five years. The sport’s governing body has signed a deal that will see adidas continue as the official sports apparel provider to the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team, official sponsor of UKA’s Major Events Series and supplier to UK Athletics officials and volunteers.
HOUSTON (USA): 2004 Olympic winner Liu Xiang could be back on the running track in May after successful foot surgery in the United States. This are the latest news reported by agencies. He underwent a three-hour operation on his damaged right Achilles tendon in Houston last Friday. He may start jogging in late January.
LOUGHBOROUGH (GBR): Olympic 100 m sixth placer and World indoor silver winner at 60 m Jeanette Kwakye is adamant that if she is to continue to fulfil her true potential she must regularly race against the world’s best sprinters next year. The 25-year-old Londoner is hoping to be invited to all six IAAF World Athletic Tour Golden League meetings where she feels she can again raise her game to an even higher level against her elite rivals than she did in Beijing. Informs David Martin. She and her coach Michael Afilaka always felt she was capable of after she rebuilt her career after the injury setbacks. Last indoor she improved the national record to 7.08 at 60 m and is planning to compete during indoor season. After that she will again go abroad in April or May to a warm weather training camp in Florida.
TORONTO (CAN): Alex Gardiner is set to return to Athletics Canada as its head coach. He will replace Les Gramantik, whose contract with the national organization is set to expire at the end of 2008. Athletics Canada has scheduled a conference call for Tuesday to announce Gramantik’s successor. Gardiner was head coach of Canada’s track and field team at the 2004 Olympics. He left Athletics Canada to take a job with the Canadian Olympic Committee, becoming the COC’s director of international performance in May 2005. Gramantik, will reportedly take another position that is partially under the Athletics Canada umbrella, Canadian Press informs.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Sweden´s current number one female High Jumper Emma Green had during the weekend a minor arthroscopic surgery on her right ankle to correct an old problem that always has limited the flexibility in the joint.
As already announced by EME NEWS, she most probably won’t compete indoors but expects to be back at full force in the summer. She was also Olympic finalist in Beijing and has a 198 indoor best from this year. By the way, happy birthday today (24).
RESULTS
MEMPHIS (USA, Dec 6): US Jeff Jonaitis won the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 2:19:47. In all races more than 11 000 runners participated. Ethiopian Muluye Gurma was the best woman in 2:44:56 beating her team-mate Meseret Kotu by 4 seconds (2:45:00).
FIUMICINO (ITA, Dec 7): As Race Results Weekly informs, the 2007 European Indoor Championships gold medalist at 3000m, Cosimo Caliandro, won the men’s race here at 10 km with 29:42, while 40 year-old Glora Marconi won the women’s (34:07).
CARCASSONNE (FRA, Dec 7): Kenyan athletes had no match at the Cross de la Cité, in Carcasssonne on Sunday, sweeping both the men’s and women’s podiums. Samuel Kamau claimed victory with a 24 second lead over Musau Mwanzia, while Josphat Muraga was third. Frenchman Yohan Durand, 1500 m silver medallist at the 2007 European under-23 championships, followed in fourth, one minute behind the winner. In the women’s race, France-based Kenyan marathoner Martha Komu (5th at the Olympics) prevailed over her fellow countrywomen Miriam Wangari, Esther Wanjiku and Alice Serser, while Kenyan-born Margaret Maury was the first French home in fifth position.
SAN REMO (ITA, Dec 7): Morrocan Hicham El Barouki won the marathon of San Remo in 2:19:39. He beat clearly Kenyan David Ngeny (2:22:20) and Slovenian mountain runner Mitja Kosovelj (2:22:29). Best female was Caterine Bertone (2:47:22).
OSLO (NOR, Dec 7): In the ultra running 12 and 24 hour races at track under the famous Bislett Stadium Briton Sharon Gayter got 219.178 km and German Ralf Weiss 225.173 km at 24 hrs. In the half (12 hrs) home wins for Margrethe Logavlen (135.425 km) and Gjermund Sorstad (138.119 km).
YAROSLAVL (RUS): First indoor result from Russia. Sprinter Vladimir Toporin clocked hand-timed 6.6 at 60 m here end of last month. He has 6.73 best from 2006.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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